Transformers:Alternatives
by HeroesNeverReallyDie
Summary: An AU that was originally just the G1 cartoon mixed with the IDW comics, but it's kinda snowballed into it's own thing. -Sunstreaker is still having trouble coming to terms with the Headmaster fiasco and moving on with his life. But when comfort comes from an unexpected source, his chances might end up being better than he expected.-Very Prowl and Sunstreaker centered.
1. Chapter 1

Whelp, I've finally done it. After reading on this site for years I've finally made an account and started uploading a story of my own. _This_ particular little beauty came to be after I started reading the IDW Transformers series. There were parts that I didn't particularly like or agree with so I ended up making my own little story and it just sorta snowballed from there. It's basically G1 mixed with elements from IDW along with my own personal spin on things. I 'll update as much as I can for now but it should pick up in about a month.

Enjoy

Another nightmare, another night of pacing the _Ark_ to avoid going back into recharge.

It had been four months, _four fragging months_, and he was still having nightmares about the headmaster incident.

It really shouldn't bother him this much, he was a gladiator and frontliner for pits sake, but he just couldn't forget. It wasn't for lack of trying though. He had vented by screaming, blowing stuff up, sparring, shooting cons, and painting. But still the nightmares would not reside. He could still see the laboratory in his dreams, hear the humans talking above him like he was just a piece of equipment to study, hear the buzz of the saw blades, feel them as the cut into his neck and severed his head. But the worst was when he remembered the all-encompassing numbness he felt as his head was suspended from wires and cables (though thankfully they hadn't had time to connect him with a human before the Autobots had found him). When the nightmares got to that point, hear rarely went back to sleep. This was unfortunately one of those nights. Eventually wandering into the rec. room, he grabbed a cube from the dispenser and made his way to a table tucked away in the farthest corner of the rec. room and sat down to enjoy his cube. Taking a long drought from the cube, he checked his internal chronometer and sighed in agitation.

12:37.

Great. Just dandy.

Thankfully he didn't have a shift to report for thanks to a certain monochrome Praxian that absolutely _refused_ to clear him for duty. He could understand not letting him back the first month, even the second month was still within the range of being understandable, but four? The sound of the rec. room door sliding open made him stop his mental rant before it started as he looked to see who had entered.

Well, speak of the Unmaker . . .

There stood Prowl, looking at him with that uncomfortably intense gaze that he still wasn't sure how to read. In the past few months, the only other bot who had stalked around the corridors of the _Ark _at such unearthly hours other than himself was Prowl. He honestly wondering if Prowl recharged in the first place.

After staring at him a few more seconds, Prowl silently walked over to the dispenser, got a cube for himself, and walked over to Sunstreaker's table and sat down next to him. Sunstreaker didn't acknowledge him, suddenly finding the contents of his energon cube to be the single most fascinating thing in the room.

"You had another nightmare."

It wasn't even a question. Never had been. Prowl just somehow knew. He_ always _knew.

"Y'know I could've just woken up and decided to get a late-night snack." "But you didn't." Prowl took a slow drink from his own cube, never taking his optics off of the vain frontliner.

Sunstreaker wasn't even sure when it had started, but whenever Sunstreaker ended up wandering the halls in the middle of the night, Prowl would always find him and stay with him. He wouldn't say much, just stay with him for the rest of the night until Sunstreaker finally went back to his quarters. Most nights, at least. Some nights there'd be odd bits of conversation.

"Your brother is worried about you." Ah, so it was going to be one of _those_ nights. "Is he now? I hardly noticed." He responded with the usual sarcasm he reserved for these nights. He knew Sideswipe was worried, he was his twin for Primus' sake. Thankfully he had learned how to block his nightmares from reaching through the bond that all split-sparks shared. "Have you tried talking to him about what happened?"

Well Sideswipe had made an effort to, at least. Pit, everybot had tried, even Spike, Sparkplug, Chip, and Carly. But whenever someone had tried to talk about it, or even bring it up for that matter, he just couldn't . . . . he can't . . . . .

He again found his half-empty cube interesting as avoided the steady gaze of Prime's SIC. He didn't want to deal with this, he **couldn't** deal with this. He couldn't deal with the nightmares, the memories. He couldn't deal with the whispers, the rumors, the pitying looks, the feeling of being utterly useless. He couldn't deal with everyone treating him like glass, couldn't deal with the fact that he **felt** like glass, he just couldn't-

"The humans that hurt you have been sentenced to life, even execution for some. They can't hurt you anymore"

Sunstreaker's head shot up, fury written plainly on his faceplate. "_Don't you think I __**know**__ that? Don't you think that I know that I'm being foolish, that I should__** let it go**__? Move on with my life? Don't you think I__** want**__ to? Don't you think that I'm tired of the nightmares, of not being able to face_ my_ own problems? Don't you think-_

"Think that you're hurting? That you don't know how to deal with what was done to you? That you feel ashamed and violated even though it was no fault of your own and you shouldn't feel that way at all? That you'd be pathetic for asking for someone to help or listen even though you wouldn't be? That you feel like you're broken and feel like less of a Cybertronian even though you're worth just as much now as you were before they captured you?"

Sunstreaker gaped, not sure what to say. Yeah, everyone had tried to console him in some way, but for someone to tell him all that, that he was worth something, and to hear it from _Prowl_ of all mechs . . .

"You're not just a machine to send out into battle, Sunstreaker. You matter just as much as the others, if not more." Not knowing what to say to that, Sunstreaker stayed silent. They sat like that until the first shift mechs started wandering in. They left, walking back to the area of the ship that housed the crew's living quarters. Reaching the quarters that he shared with his twin, Sunstreaker made to enter until a hand gently touched his wrist.

"If you wish to talk at any given time, my door and quarters are open."

Sunstreaker nodded, and Prowl released and walked to his own quarters. When the regal doorwings that Prime's SIC was known for were finally out of visual range, he entered his quarters and layed down on his berth.

Upon reflection of the nights events, he might just take that offer.

-Whelp, that's the end of the first chapter. I'm fairly new at this, so feedback on quality will be much appreciated, just don't flame. I'll try to add the second chapter within the next week or so. If not then than next week.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, hello. Time for another chapter of Transformers: Alternatives!

Enjoy.

* * *

He raised his servo to the door, hesitated, then dropped it back down to his side only to repeat the cycle over again. Growling at himself in frustration, Sunstreaker brought his servo up to the door only to drop it once again. Slag it, he was one of the greatest gladiators of Kaon, one of the most viscous soldiers in the Autobot army,_ so why in the pit couldn't he work up the nerve to knock on a stupid door?!_

Well, he already knew the answer.

Pride. Whatever was left of it, a least.

It had been two days since Prowl's offer of an open door and audio receptor, and he still couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and take the final step and actually ask for help. He had been taught early on that showing reliance on another was a sign of weakness, a poor quality to display in the gladiatorial pits. And if there was something that Sunstreaker was not, it was weak.

But, wasn't he already weak for succumbing to something as trivial as nightmares?

His servo dropped down to his side completely as the bitter taste of anger and defeat made itself known. Had he truly stooped this low? To crawling to his SIC for comfort from a nightmare like a sparkling would to its carrier? Had he truly become this pathetic?

"Do you wish to talk now?"

He jumped at the sudden voice and realization that someone had opened the door and put there servo on his shoulder. He looked down to see familiar ice blue optics looking at him with that same quite intensity they always seemed to hold. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before looking away in shame. "You . . . I just . . . I can't . . ." _ Why was he so weak?!_

The monochrome Praxian studied the front-liner for a moment before moving to the side and gestured to the open door behind him. "Do you wish to move away from the possibility of prying optics?" Sunstreaker nodded hesitantly before slowly making his way into the office and occupying a chair in the corner. Prowl followed him in and locked the door behind him. Pulling the chair out from behind his desk, the SIC pulled it over to the front-liner and sat a few feet away, quietly waiting for the more volatile twin to speak. Sunstreaker stared at the Praxian for a few moments before finally speaking.

"Why are you doing this, anyway?"

"Can I not just be concerned for the well-being of a fellow Autobot?"

Sunstreaker sighed, burying his faceplates in his servos. "Why can't I get over this?" "This isn't something one just 'gets's over', Sunstreaker. You need time to heal." The Kaonite stood and started pacing in front of the strategist. "I've been through worse. No one leaves the pits of Kaon as a whole mech, Ol' buckethead's more than enough proof for that." Prowl tilted his head slightly, regarding the soldier pacing his office. "And Sideswipe was with you in Kaon?" Sunstreaker looked back at his superior officer, not entirely sure why he would ask such a question. "Yeah, he was there. We're _twins_, Prowl. _Split-spark _twins. One of the worst omens on Cybertron. We had to stay together, because no one else wanted us." Leaning against the far wall, Sunstreaker continued. "We've literally been together our entire lives. Sparked together, abandoned together, fought as gladiators together, and got out of the pits together. It's always been the two of us." " Up until the patrol that ended in the Headmaster fiasco?"

Sunstreaker winced, and resumed his pacing. "Yeah. Up until **that.**" "The first time you've been seriously hurt and be completely alone." Sunstreaker stopped his pacing and leaned over into Prowl's faceplates , his own warped with fury. " Are you implying that I can't handle things on my own? That I need someone to hold my hand?!" Prowl, still infuriatingly calm, simply shook his head. "No. You are more than capable of handling life on your own. But in this one instance, you were alone. Tortured in a way that no one can comprehend because it's never happened before. Hurt so badly that you don't know how to move on and the one person that has stood by you and understood you because the had experienced the same hardships can't do it now because he hasn't experienced it."

Well.

That hurt more than it probably should have.

Sunstreaker went back to the corner and sat down in the chair, refusing to look Prowl in the optics. "Have you tried to talk to Sideswipe about it?" Sunstreaker tensed, still refusing to meet his superior's optics. "How do you even bring something like that up, Prowl? I mean, Sides has been trying- don't think he's not, 'cause he is- but how do you even bring up something like this? Let alone actually _talk_ about it?" "Does he know about the nightmares?" Sunstreaker shifted in his seat, feeling a little uncomfortable. "No, not exactly. He's starting to suspect, though." "Try talking about the nightmares with him" Sunstreaker finally looked at the tactician, confused. "What?" "Talk to him about the nightmares. Tell him what they're about, then work back to the source. Do you think you could handle that?"Sunstreaker looked down at his hands, thinking over the suggestion.

"That . . . . . might be doable." " Then try, and see if it works." Sunstreaker stood, Prowl following suit. "Now, I do believe that you are in need of a good recharge. If you are going to talk to your brother tomorrow, you'll need to be semi-aware of what's going on around you." Sunstreaker chuckled, then walked towards the door. As he opened the door he stopped, as if struck by a sudden realization.

"Prowl?"

"Yes, Sunstreaker?"

"What in the pit are you doing in your office at three in the morning?"

Giving the front-liner a deadpan look, he shooed him out of his office and into the hallway. "Go to bed, Sunstreaker."

"No, seriously. What could you be doing in your office at three in the morning?"

"Goodnight, Sunstreaker." Prowl closed the door, leaving an amused Sunstreaker to head back to his quarters. Prowl was right. If he were to talk with his twin tomorrow, he'd need the rest.

Y'know, it might just be him hallucinating due to sleep deprivation, but he could have sworn that Prowl had smiled a bit with that last line.

* * *

And here you have it, folks. Sorry it's a bit late, but we've been studying for finals and I haven't had much time for writing.

I'm really trying to keep them as in character as possible, but if you think that there might be a problem with characterization or the quality in general, let me know in a review.

Reviews give me motivation, so please leave one. Just don't flame.

Next chapter: Sunstreaker tries to talk to Sideswipe.


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